Russia accused of violating Polish airspace after missile explosion near village | Poland

Russia has been accused of violating Polish airspace after a missile exploded in an area in the country’s east during a massive airstrike that killed 13 people in neighboring Ukraine.

Polish officials said that the explosion that occurred near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia near Lublin, during Russia’s new missile attacks on Ukraine, created a 10-meter-wide crater.

Residents of Tarnawa-Kolonia reported hearing an explosion that shook the windows of their homes around 4 a.m., police said.

Speaking at the site of the explosion in an area about 50 miles from the Ukrainian border, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said the missile was most likely Russian. “Analysis of most of the tracks shows that the recovered parts point to a Russian KH-101 missile,” he told reporters.

He said there was no reason to think Poland was the target of the missile, but that the Polish military was ready to shoot it down if it threatened a built-up area.

Its armed forces said it had mobilized warplanes to protect the airspace of NATO member Poland while attacks were taking place on Ukraine.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said in his post on channel X that the Russian Kh-101 cruise missile passed to Poland.

The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

António Costa, president of the EU council, said on

At least 13 people died in Ukraine, including one in Kiev, in attacks that spread to the western city of Lviv on Thursday.

At least six people, including two girls aged five and 12, were killed in a missile attack on the central city of Kryvyi Rih, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown, the head of the town’s military administration said. Zelenskyy had warned the country hours before Moscow launched the massive attack.

Defense council chairman Oleksandr Vilkul said: “A direct attack on a village on the outskirts of Kryvyi Rih by an Iskander-M ballistic missile launched from Voronezh hit a private house where a large family lived, killing girls aged five and 12 and four adults.” He said 8 more people were injured.

Six more people, including two children, were killed in the Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava regions.

Kiev’s military administration confirmed one death, and mayor Vitali Klitschko reported fires in several areas. He had previously written: “The enemy is attacking the capital with ballistic weapons. There is a threat of further attacks. Stay in shelter!”

In Lviv, near Poland, rescue teams were trying to clear rubble to reach those trapped after Russian missiles damaged two apartment blocks and injured 26 people, officials said.

Late Wednesday, Zelenskyy had posted: “The Russians prepared a major attack a few days ago and there is a high probability that the attack will be carried out tonight… Please pay attention to air strike warnings in all regions of Ukraine today and stay safe.”

Zelenskyy also reiterated his demand from Ukraine’s allies to provide Kiev with missiles that are not available in its air defense system. “It is important that our partners fully understand what is happening and that the protection of people’s lives directly depends on their willingness or unwillingness to provide air defense missiles.”

Commenting on the attacks, the Russian defense ministry said that it used land, sea and air-launched missiles as well as attack unmanned aerial vehicles during the raid and claimed that it targeted military industrial facilities.

Elsewhere on Thursday, Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, said the Ukrainian military shot down four Russian tankers in the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov.

Brovdi said on the Telegram application that 205 tankers were hit in the last three weeks, 130 in the Sea of ​​Azov and 75 in the Black Sea.

With Reuters and Agence France-Presse